Wait For Me

Drinking To Forget

Jacob frowned when he noticed her office empty, he was sure she had said she was working this evening. He hadn't seen her for a few hours since she had gone up to see Grace. Wandering along the corridor to Charlie's office, he knocked before stepping inside. "Sorry, I was just wandering if you knew where Connie was. I thought she was working tonight." "Is she not in her office?" "No..."

Charlie looked to Duffy briefly before moving to his desk. "She said she was heading home before coming back. I'll try calling if she isn't here soon." "Okay..." Jacob smiled briefly before stepping out of the room, something not settling with him about this.

Checking the time, she should have been in half an hour ago and it wasn't like her to ever not be here unless something was wrong with Grace. Even then she would have told Charlie about it. Seeing as it was the end of his shift in ten minutes, he headed for the staff room to get changed knowing the department was dead anyway. Taking his phone out he didn't know what he was expecting, it wasn't like she would have called or text him. He was probably the last person she was thinking of right now.

As it began to get darker, Connie had moved herself inside. An empty bottle of wine standing on the table as she now drank from another bottle. It didn't seem to help though, the pain in her chest was still there as she continued drinking. With each mouthful, she prayed that it would make her forget, prayed that it would finally make her go numb and stop feeling entirely.

But all that seemed to happen was the desire to see him, for him to stop her from being so stupid and promise that they would be okay. Those words never came though, and neither did he. She had told him to stay away, and now she had gotten rid of the only other man in her life who had waited for her.

Moving the glass down to the table, she put it down too hard causing it to shatter as she let go. Dropping her head into her hands she fought to forget about him but it was still no good. Pushing her hair back from her face she reached forwards for the bottle continuing to drink, silent prayers that soon she would blackout at the very least.

Jacob waltzed back out into the department with a smile, greeting people as he went by. Heading towards the entrance, he slowed as he passed her office still seeing the lights off inside. Looking back into the department, he couldn't ignore the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Rather than going home, he moved back through the corridor taking the steps two at a time until he reached the top.

"Hey-" "Hi, Connie- Sorry, Mrs Beauchamp hasn't been here recently has she?" The nurse smiled as she shook her head picking up a pile of folders. "No, she left a couple of hours ago with a friend." "Okay... Thanks..." He nodded as the nurse wandered away, his eyes falling to the window before he moved closer seeing Grace awake.

Her face came alive when she noticed him stepping inside. "Hey firecracker... I was just looking for your Mum-" "Ho-me." He nodded with a smile as he moved closer sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. "I here someone's coming along quickly, hmm? Doing me proud firecracker?" She nodded with a smile as he moved a hand to her hair before leaning closer to place a kiss to her forehead. His eyes lifted falling to something on the side as it began to light up.

"That your Mum's firecracker?" She glanced to the side with a nod after seeing it. Jacob walked around the end of the bed to the other side, picking up her phone to answer it. "Connie-" "No good Charlie, she left it here..." Jacob sighed ending the call as he held her phone tightly within his grasp. "I'll take this home to your Mum, wouldn't want her missing any calls from work would we." She laughed as he spoke with a light-hearted smile despite the bad feeling that continued to grow. "I'll see you real soon firecracker." "B-bye Ja-cob."

Leaving the hospital with more urgency about him now, he tried calling the house knowing that there would be no way she wouldn't not answer it. Since the accident, she had been sure to answer any call incase it was something to do with Grace's condition. What with her clearly forgetting her phone he knew she would be running to answer the call, unless something else was wrong.

Receiving no answer, he pushed his phone back into his pocket before moving quicker to hers. It felt like it had taken him longer than it ever used to to reach her house, as he ran up to the front door desperately knocking. "Connie?" Knocking again, there was still no answer as he bent down to open the letter box. "Connie!" Looking through he saw her shoes discarded alongside her coat.

Knowing she was home he stepped backwards before digging through his bag. He scrambled about for a moment before pulling a key from his bag, grateful that she had forgotten to ever ask for it back from him. Pushing it into the lock, he turned it before stepping inside and dropping his things beside the now shut door.

"Connie?" Wandering through the hall he looked to the empty glass that stood beside the sink as he placed down his keys on the counter. Seeing the back door open he moved to shut it before turning back looking into the house. His eyes fell to her as she lay across the sofa, something about her position not right. "Con?"

Rushing forwards he dropped to his knees beside her as he ran a hand across her forehead. She barely spoke and her eyes were heavy as he moved a pillow beneath her head. "Hey, come on Connie. Keep those eyes open for me yeah?" Looking back over his shoulder he looked to the numerous bottles that stood on the table. "Oh no- no, no, no... Connie? Come on stay awake."

She groaned as he moved closer, holding her gently as he pulled his phone out calling for an ambulance. He had no idea how much she had drank but it was clear that it had been more than was on the table. "Connie- Con- Come on, I've got you sweet cheeks-" "Jacob..." Her voice was quiet as he edged closer running a hand over her cheek seeing the tear tracks running over them.

"You're okay... Everything's going to be okay... I've got you..." Everything she had been wanting to hear him say, but it all added up wrong in her mind. Trying to move she found she was incapable and began to panic before he held onto her gently. "Stay still Connie, the paramedics are on their way..." Shaking her head desperately she felt the tears well over again as flashes from the crash passed her eyes.

He felt her clinging to him, worried himself as he looked down at her. "Connie it's okay-" "The baby... I can't lose my baby-" "Grace is fine, she's in the hospital getting better..." Shaking her head she looked to him in despair. "I can't lose the baby..." Her tears fell thicker and faster as he stumbled over her words, struggling to make sense of it.

There was only one thing she could mean, but that couldn't be right. She hadn't been pregnant... He furrowed his brows before it dawned on him. The last night he had spent being able to comfort her before everything seemed to change. The look on the doctors face when he had come looking for her, he knew he should have followed it up. Snapping back to what was happening, he noticed how quiet she had become.

"Connie wake up... Baby I've got you, I'm not letting you go. I'm here sweet cheeks, I'll always be right here." Running a hand through her hair he did everything he could to keep her awake while trying to wake himself up from this nightmare he'd found himself in.